Did Obama's big deficit speech backfire?
The president's approval rating hits a near-record low, and Americans are particularly displeased with his handling of the economy. Is his much-hyped budget speech to blame?
![President Obama's approval ratings are down again, with a majority of Americans unhappy with the president's handling of the economy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eN9VbKoRBCWjW7qav7SPFb-415-80.jpg)
It hasn't been a great week for President Obama. First, he got a little "churlish" with a local TV reporter from Texas. And now, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll "seems to confirm" that the president's much-anticipated budget speech last week "might not have played well" with the public, says MSNBC's First Read team. In that poll, and others, Obama's approval ratings have dropped to near-record lows, especially on the economy. That comes on the heels of last week's speech, in which Obama called for long-term deficit reduction through a combination of spending cuts and higher taxes. Perhaps the president came off as "too partisan," or too off-topic for an electorate worried about jobs, MSNBC suggests. Did his speech really backfire?
Yes, Obama badly misread the public mood: And so did the pundits, says Jonah Goldberg at National Review. But as the First Read guys rightly note, these new polls prove that Obama's "demagoguery" and "scare tactics" on Medicare didn't even have "short-term political gain." Most devastating for the president is that there was "no bounce with independents, despite fawning coverage" of his speech.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
No, MSNBC is imagining things: Chuck Todd and his First Read team's "weasel-worded" framing of the polls "gives the game away," says Brendan Nyhan in The Huffington Post. They couch their analysis in words like "seems" and "might," because the polls don't back them up. The Post poll does show a drop in Obama's approval, but only from a month ago. And the more frequent Gallup and Rasmussen polls show no movement last week, which "flatly contradicts their thesis."
"No evidence Obama deficit speech backfired"
It's still the economy, stupid: Admit it, Obama's approval ratings are starting to "sag," says Steve Benen in Washington Monthly. And "I'm not sure what, if anything, Obama can do about it." What the polls really show is the gaping "chasm" between what Washington cares about — deficits and spending cuts — and what the rest of us see as important: Jobs, gas prices, and economic growth. And given our political gridlock, Obama's hands are pretty much tied on the economy.
"Is hope a plan? At this point, it has to be"
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Biden, Trump urge calm after assassination attempt
Speed Reads A 20-year-old gunman grazed Trump's ear and fatally shot a rally attendee on Saturday
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rejects challenge to CFPB
Speed Read The court rejected a conservative-backed challenge to the way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is funded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published